Winterhawks beat Oil Kings, but odds of fourth finals showdown look long

The jerseys were the same. Even some of the players were the same. But Sunday’s lone meeting this regular season between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks didn’t particularly have a championship feel as it played out in a less-than-half-full Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

Derek Laxdal and Mike Johnston weren’t presiding over the benches, replaced by Steve Hamilton and Jamie Kompon. There was no Griffin Reinhart or Curtis Lazar in a white Oil Kings sweater. No Mathew Dumba or Derrick Pouliot in Portland red.

Some of the key faces were the same, like Tristan Jarry between the pipes for the Oil Kings and Nic Petan and Oliver Bjorkstrand buzzing around for the Winterhawks. Still, Portland’s 3-1 victory over Edmonton felt nothing like a precursor to a fourth straight meeting in the WHL final.

That’s probably welcome news to fans of the other 20 WHL teams who have become weary of the same two teams hogging all the ice time in early May. And really, the runs that the Oil Kings and Winterhawks have been on aren’t supposed to happen. Junior hockey is designed to be cyclical, with brief runs of dominance followed and preceded by multi-year rebuilding efforts.

Of course, it’s only November, and a lot can happen between now and the postseason. Only Brandon and Kelowna look like true elite teams in the WHL, though Everett and Medicine Hat could join that group if they can prove that their hot starts aren’t a mirage.

Edmonton is struggling to score and has gone 0-3-1 on its current trip through the U.S. Division with one game left at Tri-City. But a team with Jarry always has a chance, and if they can shore up the offence a bit there’s no reason the Oil Kings, who are still a respectable 9-6-2, couldn’t beat any team in the Central Division in the postseason.

Meanwhile, Portland is on an upward trend, going 6-3-1 over its last 10 games after a stunning 1-7-1 start. Kompon, who’s never previously coached at the junior level, seems to be finding his footing as well. The Silvertips may be as good as advertised, but will anyone else south of the border scare the Winterhawks in March and April?

A year ago around this time, the Oil Kings were just pulling clear of the .500 mark, and they ended up hoisting the Memorial Cup in London. The Winterhawks were plagued by some of the same defensive and goaltending issues that have beset them this season, and yet they went on to eventually win 29 of their last 30 regular-season games after acquiring Dumba.

Over the last three seasons, Edmonton and Portland have faced off 20 times in the playoffs with each team winning 10 games. The Oil Kings, however, have raised the Ed Chynoweth Cup at the end of two of those series. Sunday’s meeting was just the eighth between them in the regular season (Edmonton has won five of them).

This season, each team has a few more holes and a few more flaws. They shouldn’t meet again until sometime next fall at Rexall Place.

Those who have been waiting patiently for these two teams to fall off their pedestal (especially the Winterhawks, whose success in the wake of the 2012 plane tickets and cell phones hubbub has made them the league’s biggest target for disdain) could finally get their wish.

And yet, there’s still a sense that these two teams won’t go quietly into mediocrity. In fact, both may look to add pieces during the league’s trading frenzy rather than cut bait with their remaining stars.

It’s fashionable to say the Oil Kings and Winterhawks are done hoisting banners and trophies. But does anyone really feel comfortable burying them with five months left in the season?